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I was recently socialising after work and my boss asked my co-worker to assault me.

They did.

This was very uncharacteristic from both the co-worker and my boss but it was an incident fueled by illegal substances (I don't have proof of this, but I saw at least the co-worker take drugs in the bathroom).

I lost a tooth in the attack and I never reported this to the police. I have since had the treatment and made a full recovery over the past weekend. The incident happened on Friday night.

I didn't have the confidence to go to work today, I also never rang and gave an explanation of why I didn't turn in.

What should I do?

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  • 16
    What country? Was this after-work socialising planned or unplanned? – bukwyrm Aug 13 at 13:55
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    I think this should be moved to Legal Advice – Juliana Karasawa Souza Aug 13 at 14:06
  • 36
    Yeah, "unprofessional behavior" is gossiping over coffee, not a drug-fueled assault. – Borgh Aug 13 at 14:08
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    The question in the comment by @bukwyrm is extremely relevant. The current answers all advise going to the police and that is what one should do in many countries. However, there are countries where going to the police would be terrible advice. So, please indicate a country. – Roland Aug 14 at 6:24
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    Just wanted to say that I'm sorry this happened to you. This is no way to be treated, good for you to reaching out for help. – Winks Aug 14 at 9:27
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What should I do?

You should maybe take an hour or so to get your version of events clear in your head so you know exactly what happened, then go straight to the police and file a report, clearly stating the facts, and leaving emotion out of it.

You should file the same version of events with HR, advise that you have filed a police report, and state that you won't be coming in until further notice as you no longer feel safe working with your boss and colleague.

You should also talk to a lawyer, who can best advise you on any claims you can make against the company or individuals responsible.

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    fully agree - maybe you could add to your answer that it helps to write everything down/document in a memory/event-log. First it's always good to have a document, even it was himself that wrote it, second is that the whole thing manifests better in his memory for his future statement at the police department... – iLuvLogix Aug 13 at 14:23
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    Another point in favour of writing it down first: he can ensure he gives exactly the same information to both police and HR. – Steve-O Aug 13 at 18:30
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    lawyer first not last is my only amendment here – Bproductive Aug 14 at 5:30
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You need to seek legal advice, and to document everything you can remember immediately.

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16

What should I do?

Go to the police.

You were physically assaulted and suffered permanent damage. This is not something to be taken lightly and is on a completely different level than a few bruises from a friendly fight.

a) you were attacked against your will. This makes it legally an assault or a comparable crime. You didn't add a country tag, but in many countries not reporting a crime is a crime in itself.

b) you lost a tooth. Teeth don't grow back. You will have this damage for the rest of your life, and even if you get an artificial replacement tooth, the fact that permanent damage was done can put this - again depending on jurisdiction - into the area of serious criminal assault, essentially legally the same as if they had hacked off a finger.

c) you are suffering from psychological stress afterwards. This is another harm done to you and in fact I recommend you see a psychologist to prevent PTSD from manifesting, which would seriously impact you for life.

Seriously, go to the police. Name place, time and - most importantly - witnesses. People who might say that nothing happened if questioned by you or HR because the guy is their boss, too, may be much more open talking to a police officer and can be taken under oath to speak the truth by a judge.

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  • 1
    "not something to be taken likely"? Lightly? – Zeus Aug 14 at 5:13
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    I'd be careful recommending seeing a psychologist. Sometimes PTSD can develop because someone takes therapy. Unless you are showing signs of extreme stress from the event, avoid any kind of therapy that will cause you to continue feeling like a victim (even if you are). – forest Aug 14 at 7:30
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    @forest citation needed – bruglesco Aug 14 at 14:40

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